Ammar al-Hakim selected to succeed his father

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The decision center of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) unanimously selected deputy head of the council Ammar al-Hakim to succeed his father Abdulaziz al-Hakim, recommending that the central committee approve this selection. “The decision center unanimously decided to nominate Ammar al-Hakim to succeed his father as a head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC),” the council said in a statement received by Iraqi News, noting that the council will raise its recommendation to the central committee to approve this nomination during its meeting on Tuesday (Sept. 1). On Wednesday (Aug. 26), the head of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), Abdulaziz al-Hakim, passed away after physicians failed to treat a recent serious deterioration in his health in a hospital in Tehran . Iraq has announced a three-day mourning for the death of the leading Shiite politician. Hakim is the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which comprises major Shiite parties. The bloc is the largest in the Iraqi parliament after it won the 2005 elections with 128 out of a total 275 seats. He also spearheaded the SIIC after the assassination of his brother Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim in August 2003. SH (P)/SR 1